1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an expansion joint for modular flooring. More particularly, the invention relates to the use of a slidable member which is interspersed between tiles of plastic modular flooring, which is adapted to permit relative movement of subsections of the modular flooring during installation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modular flooring of various designs has been utilized for a significant period of time to provide a temporary walking or other rigid surface in areas where permanent flooring is either not necessary or prohibitively expensive. More particularly, modular flooring is primarily utilized in commercial settings where a floor is temporarily needed, such as on a grass or artificial turf surface as well as in industrial or construction areas. With respect to industrial or construction areas, temporary flooring may be utilized to provide walkways, driveways, parking areas or other rigid surfaces for the transport of materials, vehicles, storage or mounting of equipment, or simply as a walking or standing surface for people. The modular nature of such flooring is utilized to adapt the flooring to the particular topographic or geographic needs of the particular site and to also allow for the efficient storage and transport of the modular flooring. In addition, the use of relatively small modular floor tiles permits repairs and disposal of broken floor sections with relative ease.
In operation, the selection of the particular floor tile and its characteristics are primarily based upon the amount of load expected to be exerted on the modular flooring system, as well as the relative support characteristics of the underlying substrate be it concrete, artificial turf, grass, dirt, or the like. Once the particular floor tile is selected, a number of modular tiles typically having some type of interlock mechanism are applied to the surface and are generally laid in a sequential pattern, permitting the selective interlock of the various tiles and the placement of those tiles in a preplanned topographic design intended to permit the movement of materials, people, vehicles or the storage of the same in appropriate locations. The modular floor tiles are themselves typically constructed of plastic or other polymeric materials which permit relatively high-strength sections having relatively low weight, providing ease of storage and portability. One particular shortcoming of plastic and polymeric materials is the coefficient of thermal expansion, which is relatively high in practice. Changes in temperature of the underlying substrate material, as well as the ambient air proximate to the modular floor system cause relatively significant changes in dimensionality of the floor tiles. While the dimensional changes in each individual tile are relatively small, over a large area with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of interlocked tiles, the cumulative expansion or contraction of the entire flooring system causes significant problems with respect to maintenance of the floor, as well as the safety of the users.
In practice, this expansion of the modular flooring system causes buckling, shifting and cracking of the floor tiles, as well as providing a tripping hazard for persons walking on the floor and potentially causing dangerous conditions which could cause vehicles to be diverted from their intended course over the surface of the modular floor.
Other limitations of the modular flooring system include the requirement that the floor be laid sequentially in order to ensure the appropriate alignment and interlocking of the modular tiles. In practice, this means that a tile floor must be laid from one location and expanding outwardly from that location on an interlocking basis and cannot be laid in discontinuance sections. Furthermore, the alignment and location of each tile is very important because small deviations from the preplanned alignment of the tiles over the course of longer distances will result in a floor being significantly displaced from its preplanned location. This results in significant delays and costs associated with picking up and relaying the various floor tiles once the misalignment has been discovery after a significant number of tiles have been laid.
There remains a need, therefore, in the art of modular flooring, for an adjustable or displaceable tile which may be inserted at various locations in a modular floor system to absorb the expansion of the floor tiles in atmospheric conditions which cause expansion and contraction of the modular floor or subsections thereof. Additionally, there remains a need in the art for an adjustable tile which may be inserted in order to maintain the alignment and appropriate location of sections for the entirety of the modular floor over its length.